For Timelesss Beauty, Look to Rome(ans)

When you think of Roman shades, what comes to mind? Is it home-made, bulky, drapery-mimicking window coverings that obscure half the view of your window and have no place in your modern home? Roman shades don’t have to be that. In fact, a Roman Shade can be as versatile a window covering as a cellular without the crisp pleats and modern style of a cellular shade. Because of the wide variety of patterns and fabrics available, these gorgeous creations can lend themselves well to any home, and have an added bonus: Timelessness.

Romans are available in many fold styles, but most internet retailers limit themselves to a tailored flat panel or a hobbled style for the greatest variety of lift options.  A hobbled shade can add rich texture to a formal room, while the clean uncluttered lines of flat panel shades offer a deceptive simplicity. A flat panel Roman is the perfect touch to a simplistic modern style of design, and if down the road you decide to get more traditional with your décor, the soft beauty of the fabric will add dimension to any style you choose. Simply add drapery panels and voila: get your fancy on!

In addition, Roman shades can free you from the traditional pull-cord blahs. Want lots of light and lots of privacy? Go top-down bottom-up, with or without pull cords. Have high, inaccessible windows, or large picture windows and don’t want to build your biceps raising and lowering your shades every day? Try motorized shades (available with a wall switch if you tend to lose remotes). Have child safety in mind? Roman shades are available with cordless lift for a beauty all ages can enjoy.

This year, don’t settle for the hard line. You don’t have to worry about pleat sizes and whether or not something looks busy. Wrap your home in the timeless beauty that is a Roman shade.

Share/Bookmark

Welcome to BlindSaver, Good Housekeeping!

This year, when you’re looking for quality window treatments with a name you can trust you can look to a name synonomous with quality and trust: Good Housekeeping. Good Housekeeping now has a complete line of window treatments available on BlindSaver.com!

This unique collection offers cellulars, rollers, romans, horizontal sheers, wood blinds, faux wood blinds, and two innovative solutions: Panel Track Blinds and Cellular Blinds. Each collection carries fabrics and patterns exclusive to the Good Housekeeping line, along with all the most trendy colors and patterns. No matter what window you need covered, these shades are sure to suit your style. In addition, all of the Good Housekeeping Blinds and Shades are the only products in their line to be tested be the Good Housekeeping Research Institute for safety and quality. So put your mind at ease: with Good Housekeeping and BlindSaver, you have an unbeatable product headed your way.

Share/Bookmark

Reduce Your Heating Bill with Cellular Shades

With the rapidly and wildly rising energy costs, many people are eagerly looking to reduce the heating bill in any way that is feasible. One simple and effective way to reduce the cost of your next heating bill is to install cellular shades. Honeycomb blinds are very popular window treatment solutions and a key component in efficiently and effortlessly saving energy while helping to maintain the indoor temperature in your home or office.

Easy to install cellular blinds can help reduce your heating bills this winter and even your cooling bills next summer. In fact, out of all manufactured blinds, honeycomb blinds are by far the most energy efficient option. No other type of blind comes close to the energy efficiency of honeycomb-shaped blinds.

Here is how cellular shades work to save money on the heating bill:
Honeycomb blinds strategically trap air inside their unique “honeycomb” shaped pockets. These pockets become instant insulators that stop or slow down the transfer of heat between your windows and the rest of your home. When this air stays trapped within the cellular blinds, your heater kicks on less, thus, saving energy and decreasing your heating bill. Cellular shades with larger cell pockets provide better insulation as they can hold more air within the cells. Also, honeycomb blinds with additional layers provide even better insulation. Black out cellular fabrics provide optimal insulation.

Save Money All Year Long
Cellular blinds can also work wonders in the summer months. Just as they trap cold air in the winter, cellular blinds do the same exact thing with hot air in the summer. Whether you are running the air conditioning or heat, it doesn’t matter. Either way, cellular-shaped shades are going to save you money.

Stylish, Useful, and Affordable
Windows are often a source of thermal inefficiency in a home or office. Older windows can be drafty for a variety of reasons. Some are single pane windows and lack the additional sheet of glass which helps trap air and add insulation. Other windows use wood or metal frames and don’t seal very well, leaking thermal energy. Modern double and triple pane windows are designed with energy efficiency in mind. Cellular blinds help trap additional air like the additional panes of glass in modern windows. While cellular shades over single pane windows are not as efficient as double pane windows, cellular blinds are less expensive than installing new windows. Cellular blinds can be a worthwhile investment until you are able to replace your windows and are durable enough that you can hang them right back up after you do.

If you are looking for an easy, stylish way to slash the cost of your heating bill, look no further than honeycomb blinds. These highly attractive and affordable blinds are available in several different colors and styles to match your home décor. Honeycomb blinds save money and look good while doing it.

Share/Bookmark

Transform a Room in 3 Hours for Under $100

Sounds impossible, right? Changing your window treatments and painting the room can completely transform the feel and atmosphere of any room in your home. This is an easy project that can be done in less time than it takes to cook a turkey.

First, click on over to our online store and pick the style of shade you want for your room. For our under $100 challenge, we picked an 8’ x 8’ room and the Bali Roller Shade style in green. The Bali collection of roller shades is stylish, simple and functional. The Chorus fabric collection features light filtering opacity, which should help balance the light and privacy needs of the room. The beaded chain is easy to operate and always stays the same length no matter the position of the roller shade. We chose an inside flush mount to accent the wooden window frames. With free shipping to the contiguous US, the total price is under $50.00 (plus tax, but only if you live in Colorado).

Next, carefully remove your old blinds. Most of the time, this only takes a screwdriver. Read our post about How to Remove Old Blinds without Damage. If they are still in good shape, drop them off at the closest Goodwill on your way over to the paint store. Place all of the hardware into a plastic bag and include it with your donation.  You won’t need it as all shades ordered through Blindsaver.com come with their own hardware and installation instructions. Don’t forget to purchase some used bed sheets while you are at Goodwill to use as drop cloths.

Once you’ve picked the right paint color to match your new shades and the rest of the room, buy enough paint for two coats. In our case, we needed just one gallon of “waterscape” by Behr. We opted for the zero VOC premium paint in eggshell finish. It’s a little more expensive, but it cuts down on the fumes and is much better for the environment and our own respiratory systems. We painted over white walls so we didn’t need a primer, but you may need one if you are moving from a darker color to a lighter color. Don’t forget to pick up masking tape, brushes and a roller. We found a combo pack with everything we needed for $14.99.

Take down wall decorations, unplug all electrical cords, and move any furniture to the center of the room. Spread out your drop cloths to protect the floor and your furniture. Tear open the masking tape and apply a strip to areas you may accidentally hit while painting. Remove or tape any outlet covers. If you just came from the paint store, a quick stir is all you need to mix your paint. Use the paint roller for big areas and the brush for detailed areas. Apply the second coat according to the instructions on the can.

Remove the tape, put away drop cloths, and clean out brushes while the second coat is drying. Put your furniture back in place, but don’t let the furniture touch the walls yet. You can also use this time to unpack your new roller shade, read through the instructions, and gather the required tools.

Once your second coat is dry you can finish re-arranging furniture and install your roller shades. Check out our tips post to see how to install blinds like a pro.

new roller shade = $45.28 +
1 gallon of paint = $25.99 +
masking tape & paint brush & roller combo pack = $14.99 +
old sheets for drop cloths = $10
Grand Total = $96.26, Total Time = 2 hours, 55 minutes (2 people plus drying time)

Share/Bookmark

How to Remove Old Blinds Without Damages

You’re excited to finally get rid of those dirty, bent, tacky blinds from 1988. Put down the pry bar for a minute and read this article before you accidentally damage your wall or window frame. Removing mini blinds, roman blinds, and wooden blinds without damage can all be accomplished by taking your time and using the right tools.

Before starting the removal process, you will need a few tools: a screwdriver, pliers, joint compound, a small putty knife, a sponge, paint that matches the wall’s current color, a paint brush, and wall primer if you think you need it. The wall primer is optional.

Step 1: Raise up the blinds all the way before doing anything. This makes them easier to handle.

Step 2: Some products use a valance or cornice to cover the top rail and brackets.  Next you will want to remove this valance.  Be very gentle for this step. Grab the bottom of the valance and push it toward the direction of the window so that you create a slight gap between the top of the valance and the top of the clips. Very carefully push the valance in an upward and outward motion at an angle until it is not touching the clips anymore. Make sure to remove the valance gently or the clips will break off.

Step 3: On a door mounted blind the hold down brackets need to be removed. These brackets are the ones that attach the bottom part of the blinds against the wall. Sometimes the end cap portion of the bottom rail has hold-down pins. If this is the case, remove the hold down pins before removing the hold down brackets. Next, use your screwdriver to unscrew the hold down bracket screws. For extra tight pins and screws, remove them with a set of pliers and use a power screwdriver instead of manual screwdriver.

Step 4: On wood, faux wood, and other horizontal blinds, you will unlatch the mounting brackets from the front and slide the head rail out. If the blinds are heavy or bulky, you may need help with this step. Wooden blinds tend to be heavier.  Roman shades and cellular shades brackets are often times spring loaded or require a or tab is loosened behind the shade.  You may need to refer to the product installation instructions to determine which type of bracket your blind uses.

Step 5: Remove the side and center mounting brackets with a screwdriver. If there are wall anchors, you may have to remove them with needle nosed pliers.

Step 6: The screws probably left small holes in the wall. Get out your joint compound and patch the holes using your putty knife. While it’s still wet, smooth out the joint compound with a sponge and let dry. Get paint that matches the current color on the wall and paint over the newly smooth area after the joint compound is completely dry. I like to save small glass food jars from pickles and salsa and stuff. I use them to store a little bit of paint for quick touch-ups like this.

Share/Bookmark